Of Love and Shame
by Wild Fantasy
Summary: AU. A Beeria challenge. An unwanted family marriage falls ill with Cloud and he dreads to meet the man he hates.He sees his stepsister and begins to be attracted to her, not knowing who she really is.Will their love triumph or would they shame themselves?


**Authoress' Note: **This is one of the challenges that was posted in Beeria's profile! Must...support...Clorith..! This challenge is #6 from Beeria's challenges!

Joanna: Don't fret cuz we're gonna make Cloti stories too. .

**Disclaimer: **We do not own the plot or Final Fantasy 7.

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Sirens, fire, cries from a mass of people crowding around a scene in the dead of night in Midgar.

"Get an ambulance!! Hurry!" screamed a woman, holding the body of another young woman, her clothes stained red.

A man was kneeling, just a few feet away from the two suffering females. He gasped for breath, horrified at the scene before him.

_No...no, she can't..._

His knees buckled slightly, jerking his senses back into gear. His eyes landed on the poor maid who was bleeding relentlessly.

_At this rate..._

"Please!! Someone get help!!" screamed the woman frantically, still holding the girl. A man came to his senses and ran home. He would call the ambulance.

"This wouldn't have happened if you didn't do that!!" shouted a pale man, grabbing the wounded male at his shoulders. He grunted slightly.

"I didn't...mean for...that to...happen..." he whispered, closing his eyes in pain. The pale man leered at him, a tiny smirk apparent on his face.

"Bastard. You sinful bastard." he growled, throwing the other with force.

His body met concrete, and a cold wave of pain and shock coursed his body. He struggled to open his eyes. A tiny familiar moan prompted his eyes to open. _It's you..._

His eyes landed upon the frail girl in the arms of the frantic woman. She was still bleeding, still suffering...

_It is...all my fault..._

"Make way, make way! They're here!" shouted the man, coming back with the white-clothed doctors. The wounded man closed his eyes again, his ragged breathing becoming slower...

_Forgive me, Aeris...for putting you thorugh this..._

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**Several years later...**

A beautiful girl of 18 walked through the library inside the mansion she lived in. She frowned, looking through the books her ancestors made. All concerned the history of their family and their stories of their lives. Stories and happy endings was all she craved for, and all the stories of her ancestors provided that. But still...something was missing.

Her parent's story. Why is there no book about them? Was there a happy ending?

She snorted slightly. _I'm 18 and yet I want such things as happy endings._

Happy endings belonged in a perfect world with perfect people with perfect lives. Thing is, that perfection can be boring. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, live happily ever after, maybe the odd child or two would come along. That's what happened in their stories, the stories about her family's past members. She enjoyed to read them, but sometimes it made her gag knowing what the ending would be. Just some trite "They lived with riches and blessings" crap to finish off a fairy tale.

She shrugged. No matter, she was only concerned for one thing.

_What was my parent's story? Did they have a happy ending? Was their life a fairytale too?_

She looked away from the title "Gentleman Lockheart and his Wife Rosalind's Tale". She read that so many times, it bored her.

_Grandma told me when I come of age she would tell me the tale. Well now it's time she payed up._

"Grandma!" she called, rushing down the stairs. Her elder, a wizened old woman, was rocking herself in a cozy armchair, fanning herself lazily.

"What is it, dearest?" she relied, smiling at her energetic granddaughter.

"I'm eighteen." she said, crossing her arms.

"Yes..?" the elder prompted, knowing full well what she wanted.

"That means that you have to tell me." she said, a frown on her face.

"Which means..." the old woman said, her lips curling upwards. _Oh I just love her tantrums..._

"Pleae tell me the story!" she cried, her lips pursed and stamping her foot.

Her grandmother laughed. Seeing that outburst made her day. It proved that she was still her little girl.

"Oh hush up dearie, I know what you want. I just wanted to see your cute angry face." she cooed, stroking the girl's face. "Sit, sit. I shall reveal to you the tale."

The girl took up a chair and sat down next to her beloved grandmother.

"Why have you waited for many years until you could tell me this..?" she asked.

The old woman frowned. "This is...not one of your ancestor's perfect stories. It is a very tragic tale...but I think you can handle it."

The girl's eyes widened. "It isn't perfect..?"

"Of course not. Why do you think you only live with me?" the elder said. The girl nodded. She has never seen her parents...

"This story," the woman continued, "is about two star-crossed lovers who fell in love in the most tragic situation. This story is about the limits of love and how you can overcome them...This story is about..."

"...Cloud and Aeris."

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**Authoress' Note: **Please review!!

Maria: Or else!!!


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